Download CaseCracker User Manual

CaseCracker User Manual
For version 4.0 of CaseCracker Interview Management System; last revised December 2011
Table of Contents
1. System Overview _________________________________2 2. Your Account; Logging in and Logging out ___________2 3. Main Window ____________________________________4 4. Previewing Video _________________________________5 5. Recording Video __________________________________6 6. Recording Two Rooms Simultaneously _______________9 7. Playing Back Video ______________________________10 8. Exporting ______________________________________12 9. Searching Video _________________________________16 10. Deleting Video __________________________________17 © 2011 Cardinal Peak, LLC
December 2011 • Page 2
1. System Overview
The CaseCracker Interview Management System is intended for the recording of law
enforcement interviews. It typically consists of an interview room, containing a covert
microphone, one or two covert cameras, and a switch for marking points of interest (optional).
Elsewhere in the building, an interview monitoring station contains a DVD recorder (optional),
and the CaseCracker workstation:
The operational mode of the system is that during an interview, two recordings of the video and
audio are made:

The DVD recorder creates a master evidentiary copy on a regular DVD. Typically, at
the end of the interview, this DVD can be checked into evidence.

The CaseCracker workstation creates a working copy of the video and audio, on the
computer’s hard drive. This copy can be easily searched and annotated.
Additionally, it is possible to burn a DVD from the working copy.
The remainder of this document details the operation of the system from the perspective of a user
of the system. Administration tasks are covered in a separate document.
2. Your Account; Logging in and Logging out
a. Logging in: From the main screen, select your name, and then enter your password*.
If there is a long list of users, your name can be quickly found by beginning to type
your name.
*Your first password is welcome.
b. Changing your password: You may be prompted to change your password
automatically, but even if not, it’s a good idea to change it. You can change your
password at any time by selecting Tools > Set Password from the main menu:
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c. Your permissions: Depending on how your department sets policy, you will have
different permissions with regard to your interviews, and with regard to other
people’s interviews. As an example, you may be able to view and annotate your
own interviews, but not delete them, while you may only be able to view, but not
annotate or delete, other people’s interviews.
d. Logging out: To Log out at any time, either close the main window (by clicking the
‘X’ in the upper right hand corner), or select File > Exit and Log Off from the menu.
e. Event logging: Most actions you can take on the system are stored in a permanent
event log. Entries in the event log cannot be deleted or altered by any user, even an
administrator. (You can see the contents of this event log at any time by selecting
File > View Event Log from the main window.)
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3. Main Window
a. The main window shows a list of all the recorded sessions, including the session ID,
the subject, the incident (typically the case number), the interviewer, and the start
time of the interview:
b. The red status bar gives you a gauge as to how much storage remains on the hard
disk.
c. You have permission to view and search the sessions listed in black; sessions listed
in grey are unavailable to you.
d. To get information about any particular session, select it, and then select Session >
Info. (You can do this even for sessions you do not have permission to view.) The
following dialog box will appear, which gives information about the session:
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4. Previewing Video
a. To check the audio and video to ensure they’re working, select File > Preview Video
and Audio from the menu. A window will appear showing the current video and
audio.
Important: The system is NOT recording in Preview mode!
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5. Recording Video
a. To begin recording, click the ‘Record’ button on the main window, or select File >
Record New Session from the menu. You will now be prompted to enter
information about the session – in particular, the subject, the incident (typically the
case number), recording room (if multiple inputs are configured), and the
interviewer. (Note: The interviewer defaults to the currently logged in user, but it is
possible to change it in the case where you may be logged in performing a recording
for someone else, like a partner.) Fill in the requested information and click OK:
b. If configured, a prompt may come up telling you to start an external DVD recorder.
Start the external DVD recorder and then click OK:
c. You’ll now see the play window, as shown below. This window is active during the
entire time recording is in progress.
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d. Along the bottom of the window, you’ll see the current status (Recording), the
interviewer, the incident or case number, the current date and time, and the current
frame number. Each frame of video is assigned its own number, so it can be
searched later.
e. To change the volume, click and drag in the blue triangular area on the bottom
toolbar.
f. To add a flag
A flag is a special bookmark in the video that allows you to jump easily to a point of
interest after the fact. To add a flag to the video, click the button that looks like two
flags on the bottom toolbar. A flag entry will appear in the right-hand list. (You can
also add a flag from the interview room if your system is configured with the
optional remote switch.)
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g. To add an annotation
An annotation is just like a flag, but with the added power that you can type a
sentence or phrase that you can search on later. To add an annotation during
recording, click the button that looks like a pencil with a plus sign. You’ll see a
dialog box that looks like this:
The system remembers the frame that was active when you originally clicked the
pencil button, and this is the frame number that will be associated with the
annotation.
h. To send a text message
You can send a short text message to a pager or cell phone. This might be useful, for
instance, to remind the interviewer to ask a particular question. To send the text
message, click the button that looks like a pager. The following dialog box will
appear:
i. To swap camera views
If picture-in-picture swap is enabled by the administrator, the images can be
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swapped during recording by clicking this button. Note: picture-in-picture (PIP) and
any PIP swaps become part of the recording and will be viewed in playback and on
DVDs burned from CaseCracker.
j. To pause recording: Depending on the policy set by your department, you may or
may not be able to pause during recording. If you are allowed to pause recording,
the large Pause button will be enabled, as it is on the picture on the previous page.
Clicking the pause button will cause recording to be temporarily suspended. (The
system will also remind you to pause the external DVD recorder.) To resume
recording after a pause, press the large red Record button. A special annotation will
be added that indicates recording was paused.
k. To stop recording: When the interview is complete, you can stop recording by
clicking the blue Close button, or by clicking the ‘X’ in the upper right corner of the
play window. If applicable, you will be reminded to remove the DVD from the
external recorder and submit it as evidence.
l. To view live interviews from your PC: If an administrator has enabled this feature,
instructions for setting up live streaming on PC’s can be found under the Help menu.
6. Recording Two Rooms Simultaneously
If your system is configured with two video and audio inputs, you have the option to record two
interview rooms simultaneously.
a. To start a second recording, click the ‘Record’ button. Enter in the Subject, Incident,
and choose the Input (or interview room) you wish to record. Click ‘OK’ and a new
recording window will appear. The previously started recording will be minimized to
the tool bar.
b. You may toggle between the two recording windows to monitor both rooms and add
annotations and flags. The recording window that is not in the foreground will be
minimized on the toolbar. Regardless of which room you are viewing, both rooms
are being recorded.
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7. Playing Back Video
a. To play back an already-recorded session, select it in the main window, and then
click the ‘Play Selected’ button or select Session > Play from the menu. The session
comes up in the window below. Initially, it is paused on the first frame of video.
a.
b. Play / Pause: You can press the Play and Pause buttons to begin and pause playback,
respectively.
c. Slider bar: You can use the slider bar (just above the CaseCracker logo) to rapidly
access any point in the video. Just drag the blue diamond on the slider bar to the left
or right to rewind and fast forward, respectively.
d. Fast Forward / Rewind: To fast forward or rewind the video, click the
corresponding button. To resume, click the ‘Play’ button. There are three speeds of
fast forward and rewind: 3x, 20x, and 60x. To advance to the next speed, click the
‘Fast Fwd’ or ‘Rewind’ button multiple times.
e. Single Step Mode
When playback is paused, you can advance forward or backward by 1 frame or 1
second by clicking the corresponding buttons in the lower toolbar. Additionally, you
can advance slowly through the video by pressing and holding one of these buttons.
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f. Skipping by Annotation or Flag
To jump immediately to a particular annotation or flag, double click it in the righthand column. To jump forward or backward to the next (or previous) annotation or
flag, click the next annotation or previous annotation buttons.
g. Adding a new Annotation or Flag
You can add a new annotation or flag in the same manner as during recording, by
clicking the corresponding button. These buttons will be greyed out if you do not
have permission to add annotations.
h. Editing or Deleting an Annotation or Flag: If you have been given the appropriate
permission, you can edit or delete an annotation or flag. To do this, select the
annotation or flag in the area on the right, and right-click. Select “Edit” or “Delete”,
as appropriate. (You can also access these functions from the menu bar at the top of
the window, via the Annotate menu.)
i. Session Info: You can access information about the current session by selecting File
> Session Info from the menu. The following dialog box appears:
j. Closing the Playback Window: To close the playback window, click the blue ‘X’
Close button, or click the ‘X’ in the upper right corner.
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8. Exporting
a. Image Snapshot
You can export a still image by clicking on the button that looks like a camera, or by
selecting File > Export Snapshot from the menu bar. (This button is greyed out if
you do not have permission to export data from this session.) The following dialog
box will appear:
In this dialog box, you can select either a JPEG or BMP format from the bottom
dropdown menu. You can also select the destination. Your destination selections
may include some or all of the options listed above based on the export policy
chosen by your department. Then click ‘OK’ to export.
b. Burn DVD
If you have permission to export this session, you can burn a DVD of some or all of
the current session by clicking the DVD icon, or by selecting File > Burn DVD from
the menu. (You can also access this function by selecting File > Burn DVD in the
menu of the main window.) The following dialog box appears:
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By default, the entire session will be exported to DVD, but you can change this by
editing the Frame Range at the top of the window.
Anything you type in the ‘Description of this clip’ area will appear on the top-level
DVD menu that is visible when you play the DVD.
You can maximize the quality of the video which will consequently have a longer
burn time. Or, you can maximize the DVD duration (have a faster burn time) which
will consequently reduce the quality of the video. Any sessions recorded at “good”
quality will not have the options to maximize quality or duration.
You can burn up to 8 different clips by clicking the ‘Next Clip’ button.
Place a blank DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R or DVD+RW in the DVD drive of the
CaseCracker workstation, and click Burn. Burning a DVD takes roughly ½ the time
of the video content (in other words, a one-hour interview will take 30 minutes to
burn).
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c. Export Video Clip: You can export a video clip or an entire session in MPEG4
format by selecting File > Export Video Clip from the Playback window, or by
clicking the Export Video button in the toolbar. (These options are greyed out if you
do not have permission to export data from this session.) The following dialog box
appears:
By default, the entire session will be exported, but you can change this by editing the
Frame Range at the top of the window. You can also select the destination. Your
destination selections may include some or all of the options listed above based on
the export policy chosen by your department. Insert the appropriate item: CD, DVD,
or USB device. Then click ‘OK’ to export.
Important: Once exported, the MPEG-4 file must be copied to your PC before it can
be viewed in QuickTime. Do not attempt to play the MPEG-4 file directly from a
CD, DVD, or USB device, as it will not play correctly.
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d. Export Audio Clip: You can export an audio clip or the complete audio file in WAV
format by selecting File > Export Audio Clip from the Playback window. (This
option is greyed out if you do not have permission to export data from this session.)
The following dialog box appears:
By default, the entire session will be exported, but you can change this by editing the
Frame Range at the top of the window. You can also select the destination. Your
destination selections may include some or all of the options listed above based on
the export policy chosen by your department. Insert the appropriate item: CD, DVD,
or USB device. Then click ‘OK’ to export.
e. Export Annotations: You can export all Annotations and Flags by selecting Annotate
> Export All Annotations. (This option is greyed out if you do not have permission
to export data from this session.) The following dialog box will appear:
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Select the destination. Your destination selections may include some or all of the
options listed above based on the export policy chosen by your department. Insert
the appropriate item: CD, DVD, or USB device. Then click ‘OK’ to export.
9. Searching Video
a. You can search all the video on the system by clicking the ‘Search All’ button on the
main window, or by selecting Session > Search All from the main menu bar. The
following dialog box appears:
You can search based on the subject’s name, the incident, the interviewer, the time,
and annotations and flags. You can also search by selecting multiple criteria. To turn
on a search term, click the corresponding box on the left-hand side of the window.
b. Search results are returned in the following window:
From here, you can jump to a particular search result by double-clicking on it, or by
selecting it and clicking the ‘Go To’ button.
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10. Deleting Video
a. Your administrator will set up a retention policy for video and audio recorded on the
system. For instance, sessions may be kept for 90 days and then automatically
deleted.
b. If you have been given delete permission, it is possible to override the automatic
deletion for any particular session, by selecting the session and then selecting
Session > Change Deletion Date from the main menu, or by selecting File > Change
Deletion Date from within the playback window. The following dialog box appears:
From this dialog, you can select a new date and time for the session to be
automatically deleted. You can also keep it until it is manually deleted, by turning
off the ‘Delete this session automatically’ checkbox.
c. If you have been given delete permission, you can delete a session manually from
the main window, by selecting the session and then selecting Session > Delete Now
from the menu.
© 2011 Cardinal Peak, LLC